16052026-LT-01.qxd 5/16/2026 12:17 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune 99-YR-OLD MAN SEEKS COPS' HELP TO TRACE GRANDSON Elderly man reaches CP's office on wheelchair with kin, alleges police inaction in case. P2 » AAP HOLDS PROTEST OVER HIKE IN FUEL PRICES HAYE NI BEBE MERIYE BLENDS SOCIAL MESSAGE, HUMOUR Protesters allege the BJP-led Central Government is burdening the common man. P2 The comedy drama blends humour with urgent social reflection on migration, identity and belonging. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 41°C | MIN 20°C YESTERDAY MAX 39°C | MIN 20°C SUNSET SATURDAY 7.06 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5:32 AM SATURDAY | 16 MAY 2026 | LUDHIANA Make Halwara airport a success, authorities, leaders urge public Operations commence with maiden Delhi flight Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 15 After several hiccups and nearly a dozen missed deadlines, flight operations from the newly operational Halwara International Airport finally commenced on Friday. The airport authorities and political leaders have now appealed to residents to collectively ensure success of the airport, hoping that international flight operations could begin in coming months. Director of the airport, Jagir Singh, described the launch as a historic moment, saying the joint efforts of all stakeholders had finally borne fruit. However, he stressed that sustaining the airport’s operations would require continued public support. “The airport should become so popular that the authorities be compelled to start international flights from here. For that, collective efforts will again be needed. I hope the people of Ludhiana continue supporting and helping to make the airport the best Passengers show their boarding passes of the first flight at the Halwara airport in Ludhiana on Friday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN in the region,” he said. Many hope it doesn’t meet fate of Sahnewal airport However, the authorities also fear that it must not meet the fate of the Sahnewal airport. Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu appealed to residents to support the airport and push for international connectivity from Halwara. “We have seen this land when it was covered with sand and wilderness. Everyone has contributed to make the project a reality. Now, it is up to the public to make it successful and demand international flights from the airport. We will be happy to serve the people of Ludhiana,” he said. Niman Dhawan, a local resident who booked an afternoon flight from Halwara to Assam via Delhi, said the airport had brought immense convenience to travellers. “It is too convenient. I’m finishing my last-minute work before leaving for the airport, which is barely an hour away. It must not meet the fate of the Sahnewal airport. Ludhiana residents had been waiting for proper air connectivity for years,” she said. Another passenger, Dr Gauhar Vatsayan, who arrived from Kolkata, said travelling directly to Ludhiana by air had saved considerable time and effort. “Earlier, the people had to depend on taxis or trains after landing elsewhere. Now, within minutes, we reach Ludhiana. My vehicle is outside and there is no maddening rush one experiences in Delhi,” said Dr Vatsayan. Initially, Air India will operate two daily flights between Delhi and Halwara using an Airbus A320 aircraft. In contrast, the Sahnewal airport failed to sustain operations due to several issues, one of the major being poor visibility on the airstrip. Despite repeated efforts to address shortcomings, the airport could not revive regular operations. c m y b Lid off another Jamtara-type racket in industrial hub ~16 crore in 300 accounts, mostly mule, frozen Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 15 The unearthing of the largest cyber fraud syndicate by the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate on Friday is considered to be the only network on such a big scale busted ever in North India. The arrest of 132 persons on Friday with the recovery of a fleet of luxury vehicles, laptops and electronic devices, has signalled a well- planned organised crime network. “Obviously, another Jamtara, the phishing capital of India, was in the making in Ludhiana. The Ludhiana police have prevented this organised cyber fraud network from further spreading like Jharkhand’s Jamtara, as the region had once gained nationwide notoriety for running network of cyber frauds across the country,” Ludhiana Commissioner of Police (CP) Swapan Sharma told The Tribune here on Friday. The scale of this network was seemingly more than Jamtara as nationals of Europe and North America were being targeted by opening two satelite centres in the industrial capital of Punjab. Cops address the media in Ludhiana on Friday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN OVER 100 FACILITATORS UNDER SCANNER Police officials privy to the investigation said besides arresting 132 suspects in the major cyber fraud case, over 100 persons across the country are under police scanner. They were facilitating the operation directly or indirectly. Some suspects have also gone underground after the police busted the network. These centres were running for the past about two-and-ahalf months only. Hence, busting the network has broken the backbone of the syndicate, the CP asserted. “Nabbing 132 persons at one go along with recovery of electronic equipment and over Rs 1 crore shows scale of the operation. Acting on credible information, several police teams were formed to conduct simultaneous raids at the two centres near Sandhu towers and Silver Oak,” Sharma said. He maintained that since the hawala network was involved, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (I-T) Department had also been informed so that probe into the financial trail could be conducted. “Three hawala operators from Ludhiana have also been arrested for facilitating the hawala money and they have been operating the network at continued on page 2 Senior Dy Mayor questions use of taxis by civic body officials Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, May 15 A fresh controversy has erupted in the Municipal Corporation (MC) after Senior Deputy Mayor Rakesh Prashar raised serious objections over the alleged use of private taxis by senior officials despite availability of newly purchased government vehicles. In a letter written to the Municipal Commissioner, the AAP leader questioned what he termed as “unnecessary expenditure” from the civic body’s already strained treasury and demanded that hired taxis be withdrawn soon. According to the letter, two Toyota Innova vehicles, (PB 10 HS 9777) allegedly being used by Tapan Bhanot (PCS) and (PB01F6677) by Harveer Kaur (PCS), were operating as private taxi vehicles, despite the MC having its own fleet of official vehicles. The Senior Deputy Mayor pointed out that the civic body had already spent nearly Rs 70 lakh on purchasing of new Innova Hycross vehicles (bearing registration numbers PB10HK3500 and PB10JY7878) for official use. continued on page 2